


Gold stained hands, red stained teeth

by Autisticvampireclub



Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: Gen, I wasn’t intending on adding any ships but then lava just happened, In case you didn’t already know I LOVE VAMPIRES SO FUCKING MUCH, Vampire AU, ninjago characters are so hard to write but I tried my best
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-26
Updated: 2020-06-09
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:41:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24386884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Autisticvampireclub/pseuds/Autisticvampireclub
Summary: A six-hundred and sixteen year old vampire prince, five reckless college students, and one undead vampire hunter out to finish what he started.Or in other words, the au where Lloyd is a vampire and the ninja adopt him and let him live in their college dorm.
Relationships: Cole/Kai (Ninjago)
Comments: 21
Kudos: 78





	1. The legend of Garmadon castle

**Author's Note:**

> Hello ninjago fandom it’s me the loser who can’t enter a fandom without making a vampire au bcuz vampires are my special interest 
> 
> I made a post about this on tumblr about a year ago and I finally got around to starting this fic! Because you know... Lotta Free Time. Enjoy!
> 
> (Also it’s two am so please forgive the summary)

“We’re here!”

Kai grunted as he was shaken awake by the car jostling to a halt. He sluggishly sat up in his seat and looked out the window. They were parked in front of a huge iron gate, overgrown with vines and moss. “This is the place?” he slurred, shaking his head to try and wake himself up. 

“Yup,” Nya replied. She tossed a crumpled piece of paper onto his lap. “Check it out, I’m gonna go get our tickets.”

She hopped out of the car, and ran over to the ticket booth. Kai yawned, and clicked the light on in the car. The piece of paper had every spot on their haunted building tour written on it, along with a small blurb about each location. He skimmed through the names until he found where they were. 

“Castle Garmadon…”

It had been built in the 14th century, allegedly by only two people. A woman and her husband, rumoured by the local townsfolk to both be vampires. 

He could believe it when he saw what the castle looked like. It was  _ ginormous,  _ towering over the iron gates surrounding it. The castle sat atop a cliff that overlooked the town below, and it gave the entire countryside a dark and gothic vibe. It looked like something straight out of dracula. 

“There you are!” 

Kai jumped at the sudden hand on his shoulder, but relaxed when he saw it was only Jay. “Hey, when’d you get here?” Kai asked. 

“Just now,” Jay said, gesturing at the blue van that was parked beside Nya’s car. “Zane’s trying to drag Cole out right now, he’s having a bit of a freak out.”

They both turned their heads to see Zane tugging Cole by the arm, trying to pull him off the car door. Cole lost his grip just as Zane gave a hard yank. Kai winced as they both fell backwards onto the concrete ground, that was still wet from the recent shower of rain. “What’s going on with them?” 

“Oh, you don’t know?” Jay crossed his arms and leaned back against the iron gate. “I hear Cole’s got like, a really bad fear of vampires.”

Kai couldn’t stop himself from snorting. “Seriously? Why?”

Jay shrugged. “No clue, think he just watched too many horror movies as a little kid,” he raised an eyebrow and scanned the parking lot, “hey, where’s Nya?”

“Hey Jay!” Nya grinned as she ran over to them. “I got our tickets,” she handed a ticket to Jay, and then one to Kai, “apparently we’re the only visitors they’ve had in months, so we’ve got the whole place to ourselves to explore!”

“Awesome!” Jay pumped his fist in the air. “Free reign to touch anything we feel like!”

“I told you in the van Jay, we must respect this castle,” Zane chided, approaching them with a mopey looking Cole in tow. “Look with your eyes, not your hands.”

“Ugh, fine. You brought the go pro right?”

Zane sighed, then reached into his shoulder bag. He pulled out an awkwardly large camera, and strapped it over his forehead. “I don’t know why you insisted on this head mount.”

“Panoramic shots Zane, panoramic shots!” Jay shot back, “now lean down so I can adjust it.”

Kai chuckled to himself watching Jay attempt to jump to Zane’s level. His focus drifted towards Cole, who’s eyes were darting back and forth between the gate and the castle, while his hands clenched the sleeves of his jacket. He was rocking back and forth on the spot and muttering something ineligible to himself. 

“You good Cole?” Kai asked him, reaching a hand out to grab his shoulder.

Cole flinched and snapped out of his nervous rambling. “What? Oh, I’m fine,” he waved his hand nonchalantly, “just… the castle is so big, it was making me a little, uh… unsettled, yeah, that’s all it is…” 

Kai didn’t really believe that, but he didn’t want to hassle him. He just gave Cole a pat on the shoulder and left it at that. The five of them showed their tickets to the guard at the gate, and walked into the courtyard.

-

Those piercing red eyes had to be the creepiest thing about the paintings Cole was surrounded by. It was bad enough that the old castle looked like it was going to collapse any moment, or that it reeked of death and mold. Of course,  _ of course  _ it also had to be infested by vampires. Vampires who loved having their portraits painted, apparently. 

“I think these ropes kinda ruin it for me,” Kai said while prodding at one of the velvet ropes that formed a barrier around the paintings. “The illusion of walking through a historical castle thing I mean.”

Cole turned around to glare at him. “Are you seriously not creeped out by all…  _ this?” _

Kai gave him a quizzical look. “I can’t really see anything creepy about it.” He walked over and slung his arm over Cole's shoulder. “It’s just an old building dude, nothing to be afraid of except like… maybe asbestos.”

“There is no asbestos in this castle Kai, the maintenance staff thoroughly check and upkeep the entire building twice a year,” Zane said. He was taking pictures of everything using the go pro Jay had thoroughly adjusted several times now. Jay himself was admiring the two giant swords affixed to the wall, along with Nya who was taking pictures with her phone. 

Cole pushed Kai off him. “I’m not scared, I’m just saying it’s creepy. I mean, why do all these paintings have red eyes?”

“Because their vampires, duh!” Jay yelled over to them. Kai shot him a glare, and he looked away sheepishly. “I mean, that’s the most popular theory…” 

Jay yelped as Nya shoved him in the shoulder. “There’s no such thing as vampires, stop trying to scare him Jay,” she said. 

Jay winced and shuffled away from her while rubbing his shoulder. “I wasn’t! Just stating the facts!”

“I agree with Nya, there is simply no scientific evidence at all that backs up the existence of vampires, or any supernatural phenomena at all for that matter,” Zane said flatly. “No matter what conspiracy theorists say to try to defend their opinion, nothing can rationalize it,” he looked pointedly at Jay while speaking, who rolled his eyes. 

“Yeah yeah, we get it science man,” Jay said, “in other words, Cole needs to stop being a baby.”

Cole sputtered. “Shut up! Can we just get this whole haunted building tour over with?” Cole sighed while shaking his head. “I can’t believe you guys forced me into this…” 

“Excuse me? We all agreed to do this together!” Jay scoffed at him. He absentmindedly scratched at the peeling wallpaper, then frantically tried to hide a chunk he pulled off in his pocket before Zane could yell at him.

“That was before I found out one of the spots on the list was a vampire infested hellhole!” Cole spat at him. 

Kai gave Cole a gentle pat on the back. “It’ll be alright man, if you get scared I’ll just let you hold my hand okay?” 

Cole scowled. “I don’t need to…”

A loud creaking sound suddenly echoed through the building. Cole screamed and grasped onto Kai’s hoodie for dear life. 

“Uhh…” Kai glanced over at Cole, who was cowering and hiding his face in Kai’s shoulder. “You good man?”

In a realization that nothing was coming to kill him, Cole pulled away from Kai like he’d been burned. Jay was laughing like a maniac in the background, and he even heard Zane chuckle softly. Nya just shook her head and walked past them. 

“C'mon guys, we’ve only got about another hour and there’s still way more castle to see,” she said, pulling Jay by the arm who was still laughing so hard he was gasping for breath. 

Cole felt his face heating up. He pulled his shirt over his face so that no one could see how red he was. Or how much he was still sweating. “Uh… Kai, I think I might just take you up on that offer…”

-

“Y’know, I hear the electric lights in this place have always been here, because the people who lived here were so old they had knowledge from the golden age about electricity that was lost to time,” Jay remarked, as they passed by a marble bust lit up by a light on the ceiling. 

“That’s impossible, electric lighting was unheard of during the 15th century, and people barely lived past their thirties, much less thousands of years,” Zane replied. 

“Unless they were vampires…” Jay hummed. 

Cole shuddered, and squeezed Kai’s hand. As embarrassing as it was to be holding Kai’s hand like he was a little kid going through a haunted house, it was… comforting. Jay was being the absolute opposite of comforting, he was being a pain in the ass. 

“Hey Cole, you cold?” Jay asked with a taunting grin. “You're shivering so much, it’s like you just saw a ghost!” He poked Cole on the cheek, and snickered when he let out a frightened squeak.

Cole grit his teeth, and grasped Kai’s hand tighter. Kai took notice of this, and pulled him in closer. “Shut it Jay, give it up already,” he snapped.

Jay stuck his tongue out and ran ahead of them. The castle was like a maze of hallways, staircases, and small rooms filled with nothing but aged looking statues and paintings. They hadn’t found anything like a kitchen or a bedroom yet, but they had walked through a faintly coppery smelling wine cellar. 

“This place is less a house, and more an art museum,” Nya mused, gazing up at the idyllic painting of the night sky above her. “Oh hey, there’s a hole in the wall...” 

She pulled out a book that was tucked inside the small crevice in the wall, and flipped it open to a random page. “How to grow the finest lavender… the most efficient way to cultivate your vegetables… slugs, snails, and other wretched fiends found in the garden,” she read aloud, being reminded of the decently kept flower patch they passed in the courtyard. “They must’ve really loved gardening…” 

The hallway they were in now was long and narrow, with red carpeted floors and black stone walls covered in scratch marks. The carpet was stained and tattered, and the floorboards sounded like they were screaming when they were stepped on. The hole Nya had discovered wasn’t alone, many more littered the wall and even the floor, Jay having discovered one when he tripped and fell on his face. 

“Odd…” Zane hummed, “this hallway seems much less cared for than the rest of the castle…”

“No kidding, this floor is gross…” Nya groaned, stepping over a particularly large dark stain. “And where are the windows? I actually haven’t seen a single one anywhere.”

Jay stopped in front of a painting of a raging ocean, and put a finger to his lips as if in thought. “Maybe… the ones who lived here didn’t want any sunlight getting in,” he said. 

“Jay!” Nya yelled at him. 

Cole shuddered, and hid his face in his hands. “Oh god, it all makes sense… red eyes, no windows, creepy castle… look, there’s even a glass full of blood in that painting!” he said and pointed towards the painting in question. 

Most of the paintings of people in the castle were of the same person, and this one was no exception. He was young looking, and had blonde curls that hung over his eyes and just barely touched his shoulders. He had dark brown skin, and freckles that covered his entire face. He wore a black high collared cape that was fastened by a golden flower-shaped brooch. A green ribbon was tied around his neck. The most striking thing about the boy was his bright red eyes, but despite the unnerving colour they had a gentle look to them. He also did indeed have a glass filled with… something red in his grasp. 

“It’s likely wine,” Zane said. 

“Or blood!” Cole yelled back at him.

“Or… maybe it’s tomato juice?”

Zane and Cole both gave Kai a blank look. “Seriously? Tomato juice? This isn’t bunnicula we’re talking about Kai,” Cole said, “he’s a REAL vampire, not some kids cartoon.” 

“Kai, tomato juice had not yet been invented at the time this painting was done, and Cole, I’m telling you vampires are most certainly not real, please calm yourself,” Zane said, irritation seeping into his tone.

“But why the red eyes then huh? Explain that!” Cole slapped a hand onto the painting, eliciting a gasp from Zane. 

“Cole!” he yelled, “that painting is centuries old, it’s a priceless piece of history-“

“In my personal opinion,” Jay cut in, stepping in between them and leaning on the rope, “I think the whole legend is legit.”

Zane glared at him. “Jay, don’t start this again-“

“Seriously, this family lives in this huge mysterious spooky castle, no one ever sees them go out during the day, they barely interact with anyone, and then some guy with a  _ silver  _ sword-“

“Wait, why is the fact that it’s silver important?” Kai asked.

“Because vampires are weak to silver Kai, keep up!” 

“I thought that was werewolves?”

“Well uh… uh… they're both weak to it alright?!” Jay stuttered, “anyways… he has a silver sword, and he kills the whole family, AND he cuts their heads off and sticks a wooden stake in all their hearts… why?”

“Because he was an asshole?” Nya helpfully supplied. 

“Because they were vampires!” Cole yelled, “and they got what was coming to them, thank god…”

“Exactly,” Jay said. 

Zane rubbed his temples, and let out a pained sigh. “You two make my brain hurt sometimes.”

“Hey, if you guys are done can we please just keep going?” Kai groaned. They ignored him, and only started arguing louder. He clapped his hands over his ears to block them out, and turned to Nya and nudged her. “Hey, you wanna just go on ahead?” he asked. 

Her face scrunched up as she mulled it over. “I’m tempted but…” she glanced over at Zane who was physically restraining Jay from touching the painting, and shook her head. “Someone needs to keep them in check.”

“Fair enough… you mind if I…?”

“Go for it.”

Kai quietly snuck away from the scene of Jay loudly pointing out all the obvious vampire clues in the painting while in the clutches of Zane’s arms, and walked deeper into the mysterious darkness of the castle.

-

The many twisting and turning narrow hallways eventually led Kai to a small, dusty room. It was completely empty. “Aw man, dead end…” 

He walked into the room anyways, his eyes drawn to the swirling flower patterns on the green walls, a contrast to the pure black walls of the hallway he came in from. The ceiling was also unusually low, not low enough that he had to duck, but low enough that he could feel his hair brush against it. 

“Kai!”

Kai turned around to see Cole running towards him, Jay, Zane and Nya tailing behind him. He came to a screeching halt in front of the door, gasping for breath. “Kai, why the hell did you wander off?!”

“Because you were all held up arguing, I got bored. Wait, were you worried I got like, murdered or something?” Kai asked, raising an eyebrow. 

Cole’s cheeks flushed. “No, you just get lost really easily, so I thought-“

“He was totally scared you got murdered, that’s why he was running,” Jay said, “hey, what’s going on in here?”

Jay pushed past a fuming Cole, and walked over to the back wall. “Huh, this is weird… ooh! I bet there’s a switch in here for a secret passage!”

He started pressing his hands into random spots on the wall, musing aloud to himself as he did it. “Not here… not there… guys, come in here and help me look for it!”

“Jay, that sounds dum- ow!” Cole banged his head against the low ceiling. He dropped to the floor, and tried to rub the swelling pain away. “Why is this entire castle built so bad?!” he groaned.

“Ah, the tough life of a mountain sized man,” Kai laughed. 

Cole brushed the dust off his pants as he stood back up. “Well, better than being as short as Jay I guess.”

“I HEARD THAT!”

“Let’s just not spend too much time here alright? I’m starting to feel claustrophobic…” Cole said, trying to avoid touching the rotting wood on the doorframe as he shuffled out of the room. 

Zane ducked his head as he entered. He gazed around curiously before joining Jay by the back wall. “I doubt there’s a secret passage, but there is something fascinating about this wall.”

“What is it?” Nya asked as she walked in, closing the door behind her. She laid a hand against the wall, but pulled away at the icy cold feeling against her palm. “Yeesh, must have been fun to live here during the winter. Not.”

“Yes, I noticed the temperature as well, but that’s not what I mean,” Zane pointed to a tiny spot on the wall. “Look at this.”

She leaned in to see what he was looking at, but all she could see were squiggly golden lines. “Uh… what exactly I am supposed to be looking at?”

“What’re we looking at?” Kai said as he leaned in over Nya’s shoulder. 

“We’re looking at a line of writing in an ancient language, native to Ninjago, spoken by only a handful of people in modern times,” Zane replied, zooming the go pro in to get a better shot. “And lucky for us, I know this language… don’t take that ancient languages class Zane, they said, you’ll never have any use for it, they said-“

“So uh, what does it say?” Jay asked, having given up on searching for a secret passageway. 

“Huh? Oh, right…” Zane wiped the dust away from the lettering, and cleared his throat. “It says, ‘reveal my sanctuary’, but then again, I could be-“

Almost as soon as the words had left his mouth, a bright green light began emitting from the wall. All four of them drew back in alarm, Kai tripping over himself and landing on the floor. 

“Wha- Zane?! What’d you do?!” Jay yelled, backing up until he bumped against the doorframe. 

Zane didn’t answer, his mouth agape as he stumbled back from the light. The door creaked open, and Cole popped his head in. “Hey, what’re you guys yelling about- WHAT THE FUCK?!”

The light suddenly vanished, and in its place was a golden door. The room was silent as they all stared at it. Jay coughed.

“So… who’s gonna go open it?” he asked, still keeping himself as far away from the door as possible. 

“None of us!” Cole shouted. “Who knows what’s behind there?” He shakily crept back into the room, and hid behind Zane. “I mean, what if there’s dead bodies that have been rotting in there forever… or worse?”

Zane nodded, and gave Cole a gentle pat on the head. “I agree with Cole, I think it’d be best to ask a facility member about this.”

“And miss the chance to go somewhere we’re not supposed to be without anyone knowing?” said Kai, who without anyone noticing already had his hand on the doorknob. 

“NO KAI DON’T-“

He ignored Cole, and slammed open the door. He flipped on the light switch, and was greeted with a colourful sight. This new room was very spacious, and anything but empty. 

Shelves covered in glass figurines and ornate jewelry boxes lined the walls, and a giant display case bursting with dolls and plush toys stood against the far wall beside a cabinet filled with wine glasses and bottles. There was a half open wooden wardrobe with gold flowers painted on it, with many lacy and sparkling dresses and capes hanging inside. Green flowing drapes hung from the ceiling, framing a large portrait of the blonde haired boy with two others, a dark-haired solemn looking man, and a woman with red hair and a soft smile. 

Kai’s mouth dropped as he stared at the beautiful decor in wonder. It was like being in the room of a disney princess. Well, aside from the coffin that was laying in the center of the room.

“Wait, what?” Kai did a double take. A… coffin. It honestly looked more like a bed with the drapes hanging over it, but it was undeniably a coffin the more he stared at it. “Woah…”

“What’s woah?” Jay peeked over his shoulder, then gasped sharply. “I can’t believe it! I was right! Hey Zane, come in here!”

All of them huddled around the coffin, except for Cole who stayed in the doorway. “Oh my god… is… that a-“

“Coffin? Yup,” Nya said, running a hand along the golden patterns on the coffin's lid. “This is so creepy…” 

Cole felt like he was going to throw up. “This is so bad… this is so bad you guys- KAI!!”

Kai flinched and dropped the lid of the coffin. “What? I just wanted a peek.”

Zane’s eyes were wide with amazement. “This is incredible… we may be the first ones to discover this historical treasure… although I do agree that we shouldn’t open it,” he added, “not because of vampires, but because there is likely a decomposing body inside.”

“Gross…” Nya gagged, and stepped back to take a photo from a safer distance from the dead body.

“You seriously still don’t believe me?!” Jay shouted, while violently gesturing to the coffin. “This is all the proof you need!”

Zane narrowed his eyes and shook his head. “Hardly. This doesn’t indicate anything other than the fact that this room served as a crypt of some sort, probably for a beloved family member.” 

“It’s obviously a vampires bedroom!” Jay retorted. “Probably the blonde guys, since the other two were a married couple so they’d have a two person coffin-“

Nya snorted. “A two person coffin? Those don’t exist.”

“Well I for one think it’s a great product pitch!” 

Kai wandered behind the coffin and gazed up at the portrait. The family seemed to really love getting their picture painted. They’d probably lose their minds if they were around when cameras were invented. 

He really couldn’t see anything scary about the family though. The blonde kid especially, he just looked like a normal teenager, who just happened to have red eyes. There were plenty of normal human beings who had red eyes. 

“I’m just saying there’s no way you can prove that vampires aren’t real.”

“False, I can prove it quite easily with-“

“Guys, give it a rest!” Nya groaned in exasperation. “Look, why don’t we just open the coffin for a minute so we can find out once and for all which one of you is right.”

Zane and Jay looked at each other, then both nodded in agreement. “Sure, why not?” Jay shrugged. 

“While I hate disturbing such a beautiful artifact, or any possible remains inside, if it can end this tiresome discussion I agree it is the best course of action,” Zane said. 

“Great!” Kai cheered, throwing his arms up, “I’ll open it-“

“NO! NO NO NO ABSOLUTELY NOT!” Cole shrieked as he barreled into the room and blocked Kai’s path. “Do you all wanna have a vampire suck the blood from you like a human juice box? BECAUSE THIS IS HOW THAT HAPPENS!” 

“Cole, chill! It’ll be fine! If there was a vampire inside there, don’t you think they would have tried to kill us by now?” Kai asked, gripping onto Cole’s shoulders to try and keep him steady. 

Cole glanced down and bit his lip. “Well… it’s daytime, so they might be sleeping-“

“No offense Cole, but you just did a whole lot of screaming,” Nya pointed out. “I think they’d be awake by now.”

“That’s… true… okay, fine,” Cole relented, “you can open it, but before you do…”

He walked over to a small wooden footstool that was laying on its side, and broke a leg off it. Zane let out a strangled cry. “How many times do I have to tell you people, this castle is a piece of history that IS NOT TO BE DISTURBED!”

“This thing is going to protect us,” Cole said while swinging the wooden piece around like it was a sword, “from something far more dangerous if disturbed.”

Zane rolled his eyes and backed away to give Kai room to pry open the coffin. He slid the lid off, and shoved it onto the floor. A choked gasp came from his lips when he saw what lay inside. He stumbled backwards, and was just narrowly caught by Cole before he fell over. 

Cole felt his entire body shaking as he looked from the coffin to the also shaking Kai in his arms. “What?! What is it?!” 

“It’s… it’s a…”

Jay finished his sentence for him. “HOLY SHIT, it’s a guy!”

Cole dropped Kai ungracefully onto the floor. “WHAT?!” He gripped his makeshift wooden stake tighter as he peered into the coffin. 

The boy from the paintings was lying inside the coffin. His hair was a tangled mess, and he had a wooden stake lodged in his chest, but it was definitely him. 

The room was dead silent, until Jay loudly cleared his throat. “Well Cole, somebody beat you to it…” 

Cole fell to his knees, his stake clattering onto the floor. “Oh god… oh my god… thank god he’s already dead-“ Cole was hyperventilating, “thank god, oh god-“

“Hey, you wanna say sorry for dropping me anytime soon?” Kai asked dryly from where he was still lying on the floor. “No? We too focused on the dead guy?”

“Kai, this is serious!” Nya snapped at him.

Zane also fell to his knees, but for a much different reason. His quivering hands carefully pulled the boy’s shirt up to check his injuries.

“This poor boy died recently…”, he whispered, “several fresh cuts and stab wounds… he’s so cold…” 

“Don’t touch him!” Cole yelped. 

Zane gave him an icy glare. “Cole, please, put aside your superstition for one moment and grasp the reality of this situation!” 

“What’re those stains on his shirt?” Nya asked, pointing to the red and gold splotches on the white blouse he was wearing. 

“The red I’m assuming is blood,” Zane replied, “but those gold spots… paint maybe? I’m not sure…” he gently brushed the boy’s hair out of his eyes, his heart aching when he saw the bruises covering his face. “Who could do something like this…” 

Cole was about to say something before he received a nasty look from Nya, so he shut his mouth and clenched his fists instead.

Kai cautiously prodded at the stake lodged into the boy's chest. “Yikes, that looks like it hurt… hmm,” without thinking about it very much, Kai grabbed onto the stake and yanked it out of the body. Immediately a river of sparkling golden liquid poured out of the wound. 

Cole fainted. Kai dropped the stake and grabbed onto him before he hit the floor. “Dude, snap out of it! Don’t bail on us yet!”

Cole’s eyes fluttered. “Vampire… stake… really bad…” he mumbled, drifting between being awake and being unconscious. 

“He’s lost it,” Jay said flatly. 

Kai lifted Cole down and laid him onto the floor, then looked down at him with a smirk. “By the way, that’s how you put someone  _ gently  _ onto the floor.”

“Shut up… I’m sorry…” was the last thing Cole said before completely passing out.

“Great, Cole’s blacked out, we just found a dead guy and Kai got his fingerprints on the murder weapon which means he’s totally going to be implicated…” Jay stopped mid rant and hummed thoughtfully to himself, “unless we don’t report this to the police-“

“Jay! How could you even suggest that?!” Zane yelled in shock, “he has a family!” 

Jay sputtered, but then bowed his head in shame. “Your right, that was shitty thing to say… but… if he is a-“

“If the word vampire leaves your mouth at any time during the foreseeable future, I’m going to stab YOU with a wooden stake,” Nya said coldly, glaring daggers at Jay whilst already dialing 911 on her phone. 

“Wait, just, hold it one minute,” Jay stuttered, “how are we supposed to explain this to the police? Hey we found a body in this old tourist attraction that barely gets any visitors anymore, actually according to the lady at the ticket booth we’re the only ones who have gone in here in like months! But there’s totally nothing suspicious about that guys, no way, haha, we’re just a bunch of innocent college students amiright? Oh god we are fu-“ 

“OW!” 

“What is it now Kai?!” 

Kai clutched his hand and hissed in pain. “I tried picking up the stake again, but I got a giant ass splinter! Look!”

He waved his hand in Jay’s face. “See? It’s huge! It’s like a whole twig is stuck in there!”

Jay batted his hand away. “Then pull it out, genius.” 

Kai grimaced. “Uhhh… I’d rather not…”

Zane grabbed Kai’s uninjured hand and pulled him over to him. He sat Kai down on the rim of the coffin. “Sit still, I’ll pull it out.”

Sitting still was unfortunately not one of Kai’s strengths. He squirmed as Zane tried to pull the sliver of wood from his palm, accidentally kicking him in the knee when the pain flared up. “Ack! Sorry, it just… stings a lot- OW!”

“It hurts because you're moving around, please try not to kick me again… almost got it… got it!”

“AGGH!”

Kai quickly pulled his hand away as a drop of blood trickled down his palm. It dripped from his hand onto the boy's lips, slipping through the tiny part in his mouth. 

And then the boy’s eyes opened.

-

_ Blood. Need blood. Thirsty. Thirsty, I’m so thirsty… need blood, blood, blood…  _

Lloyd gasped as air flooded back into his lungs, and his cheeks were filled with intense warmth. He breathed in slowly, and almost started crying at how good it felt to finally  _ breathe  _ again. He was alive. He was alive… but he was so  _ thirsty.  _

_ Blood. Blood, I need blood now.  _

His stomach was aching with hunger. He felt like he was about to die again. 

_ No, can’t die again. Blood, blood… I smell blood…  _

His vision was blurry from his burning hunger. Shadowy figures were leaning over him. He could hear them yelling at each other, he had no idea what they were saying. Their blood smelled delicious. He felt an urge to bite tingling in his jaw, in his fangs. 

_ Blood, delicious blood…  _

His fangs… they were back. He remembered something from before dying. He could remember them pulling out his fangs… ripping out his treasured fangs, stealing them… as a prize from the hunt. They stuck silver blades into him when he struggled, blades that burned through his flesh and scraped against his bones. And then… and then they… 

“Kid, can you hear us-“

He managed to use the little strength he had left to focus his vision, and was met with the sight of four humans looming over him. Lloyd screamed, and frantically tried to push himself away from them. “Leave me alone! Please!” 

He tumbled out of his coffin, landing on the floor with a thud. His sharp nails scraped against the floorboards as he tried to get up and run away. It was no use. He fell back onto the floor in exhaustion, and curled up into a tight ball.

“Please, I’ll give you anything you want,” he sobbed, “just please stop hurting me!”

“None of us are going to hurt you kid, we promise,” he heard one of them say. 

Lloyd nervously moved his arm aside to see who was speaking to him. The man who had spoken had tall pointed hair, and was dressed in a red… robe of some kind. He didn’t look like a hunter, but he also didn’t look like anyone Lloyd had ever seen. He took a shaky breath. “Who… who are you?” 

The man kneeled down in front of him. “I’m Kai. You?”

Lloyd sniffled, and wiped away a tear from the corner of his eye. “Ll… Lloyd…”

“Hey Lloyd, nice to meet you. Here,” the man reached into his robe, and pulled out a small cloth. He handed it to Lloyd, who cautiously accepted it. Holding it in his hand, he realized it was a handkerchief. For him… 

At that moment the dam behind his eyes burst, and the tears seemed to endlessly flow out of him. To be treated with such a simple kindness broke him after what he had endured. The overwhelming situation and the aching thirst still inside him was clouding his senses and leaving him vulnerable. Much too vulnerable.

_ Bite him… drink his blood…  _

“You poor thing,” another one of the humans, this one taller than all the others, crouched down beside Kai. “My name is Zane, what happened?”

“I… I… It was… they…” Lloyd could barely remember what happened. He didn’t  _ want  _ to remember what happened. All that he could recall was running, and feeling the agonizing sensation in his chest, and then darkness… 

“Endless darkness…” he mumbled. It was still inside him. Gnawing away at him. 

_ Blood, blood I need blood I need it NOW- _

He hissed, startling the humans who lunged away from him. Lloyd slapped a hand over his mouth. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to-“

“Did you see that?!” the short human in the blue shirt cried out, “he has fangs!”

Oh god, now they  _ knew.  _ They must’ve thought he was human like them, but now they knew he wasn’t. They were going to hurt him, they were going to kill him, no… no, god please… 

“Hey, hey hey it’s okay…” 

Kai softly shushed him and wiped away a tear that had fallen down his cheek with the handkerchief. “Your safe now Lloyd, no one is going to hurt you anymore,” he soothed. 

“You… you mean… you don’t hate me?” Lloyd asked, his voice barely above a whisper. “Even though I’m… a vampire?”

“Dude, I fucking knew it!” the short human shouted. “Take that Zane-“

“Jay, so not the time,” the only human who hadn’t spoken yet said. She had long black hair, and her sleeveless shirt showed off her built arm muscles. She out of all the humans was the most intimidating. 

“Of course we don’t hate you dear,” Zane said, “but when you say vampire… do you really mean…?”

_ Bite someone now, drink their blood. Do it. Do it NOW.  _

“Stay with us kid, it’s going to be okay,” Kai placed a hand on Lloyd’s shoulder, but jerked away when Lloyd shuddered. “Sorry, I should’ve-“

He could barely even force himself to speak at this point. Kai’s hand was so  _ warm,  _ and his neck was so close… 

_ BITE HIM DRINK HIS BLOOD DO IT NOW- _

His thirst was only getting worse with each passing moment. Pushing away his intrusive thoughts was becoming excruciating, and it was showing on his face as sweat dripped down his temples. 

“Please don’t come any closer,” Lloyd begged, covering his face with his hands. “I’m not safe to be around right now…” 

Kai backed away, but his gentle expression didn’t waver. “We’re not going to leave you like this, your obviously hurt really bad.”

Bad was an understatement. The gouge in Lloyd’s chest had only partially healed, and blood was still oozing out of the wounds left by the silver knife. If he could get even the tiniest bit of blood… 

Jay coughed. “Uh, Kai, if the six hundred year old vampire says he’s going to go crazy, then maybe we should-“

“SIX HUNDRED?!” Lloyd gasped, clutching his chest in shock. There was no way he had seriously been dead for that long. “Oh god… I’ve missed so many… oh god…” 

“Uh, well… I mean I might’ve miscalculated the exact amo-“ Jay clamped his mouth shut as he shrunk under the glares from every other human in the room. 

Six hundred years… but then that meant… that meant… they were dead. The ones who had done this to him were dead. It felt horrible, celebrating that someone was dead. But… 

Kai seemed to catch onto what he was thinking. “The people who did this to you are long gone, lucky for them,” Kai clenched his fist into a tight ball, “because I would’ve made them feel ten times more pain…” he growled. 

“And then I would’ve made them feel twenty times that, and ground their asses into the dirt,” the black-haired woman added, her eyes lit up with intensity. 

“And I would’ve… uh,” Zane stumbled, “defended you the best I could, because no one should ever have to suffer such horrible abuse.”

Despite the pain, Lloyd could feel a warm sensation filling his chest. These people, whom he had only just met, were treating him with kindness he wasn’t accustomed to from those outside of his family. Perhaps… vampires weren’t as hated now, in this new time period. What a lovely time it must be. 

Jay, who was still trying to avoid anyone else’s eyes, found himself staring at the glass cabinet behind the coffin. It was filled with bottles of ‘red wine’, a.k.a, probably blood. He pried it open, and took a bottle out. It was cold, and caked in layers of dust. “Hey uh, this isn’t… human blood, right Lloyd?” 

Lloyd’s eyes locked onto the bottle in Jay’s hands. His pupils dilated. “Give me that… please.”

Jay gulped. “Uh, sure…” not wanting to get too close, he tentatively rolled the bottle over to Lloyd, who snatched it up faster than he could blink. 

The cork was thrown heedlessly aside. The blood inside the bottle was ancient and spoiled, but Lloyd savoured every last drop. He only stopped once to take a gasp of air, chugging the sweet red elixir until the bottle was completely dry. 

He sighed with relief as the ravenous voices in his head quieted. Almost immediately, his wounds began healing. The bruises on his skin disappeared, and the gouges and cuts in his flesh vanished without a trace. His full senses returned to him, his eyes grew sharper and his ears twitched as he took in every bit of sound around him. 

Kai helped him to his feet. “I’m guessing you're feeling a bit better now?” he asked, taking in Lloyd’s now completely healthy looking appearance. 

Lloyd grinned, fangs on full display. “I’m feeling wonderful now, thank you.”

“Woah!” Jay ran over and leaned in close to Lloyd’s face. “Those are so cool!” 

“My… fangs? Really?”

Jay bounced up and down on the spot, barely able to contain his excitement. “Totally! Sorry about how I acted earlier, I was just surprised, but this is so awesome! You're a real vampire!” 

“O-Oh…” Lloyd blushed, and looked down at his feet. “Thank you-“

“I have so many questions! Okay, one, do you burn in the sun, or is it just like irritating? Oh, and is the garlic thing real? No wait, when you turn into a bat where do your clothes go- hey!” Jay grunted as the dark-haired woman pushed him aside. 

“Don’t mind him, he’s always like this about everything,” she said, “I’m Nya by the way, it’s nice to meet you.” 

Jay ran over to Zane, and pulled a notebook and pencil out from his shoulder bag. He ducked under Nya’s arm and sat down on the rim of the coffin. “Okay, as I was saying-“

“Sunlight burns us, but we don’t burst into flames or anything, garlic makes my tongue swell up, and…” Lloyd pondered the last question for a moment, “y’know, I’ve never actually thought about that… I assumed they just disappeared… then reappeared.”

Jay paused his furious scribbling of notes. “What? But how does that  _ work?”  _

Lloyd shrugged. “Don’t ask me! Wait, let me show you something…” 

He stretched out his arm, and smiled as a green flicker of light danced across the palm of his hand. For a moment he had feared his powers hadn’t returned yet, but the sparkling flicker growing into an orb of bright light in his hand assured him otherwise. 

Jay, as well as Nya, Zane and Kai watched, mesmerized. Lloyd shaped the orb into a diamond, then into a flower, and then in a burst of light dissolved it into a shower of tiny sparkles that floated through the air. 

“This… doesn’t make any sense,” Zane said, gazing up at the ceiling that was now lit up with hundreds of star-like lights. 

“Does it have to?” Nya replied, smiling as a light landed on her nose. She sneezed, and it drifted until it landed on her finger. “This is so beautiful…” 

Lloyd spun around the room, letting out more bursts of sparkles each time the lights dimmed out. He abruptly came to a stop behind the coffin. “Why… is there a sleeping man here?”

They all looked at each other. “Shit, I forgot Cole was still passed out,” Kai said, rushing over to go shake Cole awake. “Cole! Wake up buddy!”

“Hnnngh… huh?” Cole blinked wearily. He sat up, and rubbed his eyes. “Whuhhappened?”

Kai swallowed stiffly. “Don’t freak out, but-“

Lloyd blew a tiny sparkle to Cole. “Greetings sleepy human!” he giggled. 

Cole’s face turned pale as he caught sight of Lloyd’s fangs. ”Y… You… your a… vamp-“ 

“Yes, I am a vampire!” 

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHHHHHH!!!”


	2. A storm brewing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hewwo I’m back! Warning for emetophobia in this chapter, though the thing that could trigger it is only briefly mentioned twice.

“Cole, calm down!” Kai struggled to restrain a panicked Cole from lunging with his wooden stake. “He’s not going to hurt us!”

“That’s just what he  _ wants  _ you to think!” Cole yelled at him, frantically trying to break free from Kai’s grasp. “Nya, get away from him!”

Nya stood protectively in front of Lloyd, who clutched onto her arm like a child afraid of getting separated from their parent. Zane pushed Cole back, and yanked the stake out of his hand. “Cole, stop it!” he shouted, “you're scaring him!”

“I’m scaring him?!” Cole gestured violently towards Lloyd, “he was literally dead before I passed out!”

Lloyd whimpered. He let go of Nya’s arm and timidly approached Cole, who drew back in fear. “I… I promise I’m not going to hurt you,” he stuttered, “I’ve never bitten anyone, I swear!”

Cole tried to reach for the stake again, but Nya kicked it under the cabinet. “Don’t even think about it,” she said coldly, jabbing a finger at Cole’s chest. 

Cole sputtered, looking around at everyone giving him similarly hostile looks. “B-But, he’s a vampire!”

“Yeah, but he’s like a chill, nice vampire,” Jay said, “and he’s super polite, seriously, you should’ve heard how many times he said ‘please’ after he woke up.”

“Do… I really say it that often?” Lloyd asked, blushing.

“Yup, at least a dozen times.”

Cole threw his hands up in defeat. “Fine, let’s say I believe you, just what are we supposed to do now?!” 

“Well, uh…” Kai looked down sheepishly, “I was kinda thinking we could bring him back to the dorm-“ 

“ABSOLUTELY NOT!” Cole shot back. He sighed, and nervously glanced over at Lloyd, who was fiddling with the hem of his shirt. “And not just because he’s a vampire, but also because I don’t feel like explaining to our supervisor why we have a teenager squatting in our dorm.” 

Kai shook his head. “That’s exactly why he needs to come with us! We can’t just leave a fifteen year old here all alone!” 

“Hey! I’m sixteen!” Lloyd said with a pout, “six hundred and sixteen, actually!” 

Nya laughed, and ruffled Lloyd’s hair. “Sixteen or six hundred, you don’t wanna be all by yourself, right?” 

“Well, no…” 

“Then it’s settled!” Zane said cheerfully, clapping his hands together, “you can come stay with us!” 

“What?!” Cole gaped at him, bewildered at the sudden turn of events. “I didn’t agree to this-“ 

Zane took Lloyd’s hand and led him towards the door. “I hope you don’t mind sleeping on the couch, it’s a little beat up but-“ 

“What’s a couch?” Lloyd asked, tilting his head to the side. 

“Um… well, it’s like a chair and a bed… combined?” Zane replied, “it’s a little hard to explain.” 

“Oh, alright… wait!” Lloyd let go of his hand, and passed a still gawking Cole as he walked towards the wardrobe, “I should get dressed first!” 

He swung the wardrobe open, and pulled out a long black cape. “Hm, should I wear this one or… oh!” he noticed the others staring at him, and covered himself with the cape. “If you all don’t mind… do you think you could…?”

Zane nodded. “Take as long as you like dear, we’ll give you some privacy.” They all shuffled out of the room, except for Cole, who had to be dragged out by his shirt collar. 

Once the door was shut, Cole didn’t hold back. “Are you all out of your goddamn minds?! He’s a fucking  _ vampire!  _ What the hell are you thinking?!” 

“Vampire or not, he is still an adolescent who has clearly experienced severe trauma,” Zane said, “I’m having trouble accepting the reality of vampires myself-“ 

“And that I was right?” Jay said smugly. 

Zane rolled his eyes. “This doesn’t mean I suddenly believe ghosts exist.”

“WHAT?! But I was right about vampires!” 

“Vampires I’m sure have a clear biological explanation, I still cannot think of anything that scientifically explains the existence of ghosts-“ 

“Let’s not get into this again, okay?” Nya cut them off, “Cole, I know you're scared, but Lloyd is more scared of you then you are of him. So please, just… give him a chance, alright?” 

Cole was about to retort, but instead just grit his teeth and exhaled sharply. “...fine. But if he sucks out all my blood in the middle of the night, I’m blaming you guys.” 

“Deal.” 

The door creaked open, and Lloyd stepped out. He was dressed in a green coat with golden accents, and had the black cape draped over his shoulders. He had changed out of his stained white shirt into a black button up that was lined with frilly lace, and he had a green bow tied around his neck. “I’m all ready, how do I look?” he asked, adjusting his bow to sit over his collar. 

“You look so pretty!” Nya cheered, “loving that cape, way to bring it back in style.” 

“Thank you!” he twirled his cape, “but… I’m sensing I might look a bit… unusual in this time period, if the strange attire you're wearing are anything to go by…” 

Kai waved his hand nonchalantly. “It’ll be fine, if it’s really an issue I have plenty of clothes you can wear. You like green right?” 

“I love green!” Lloyd said excitedly, rocking back and forth on the spot. “It’s my favourite colour after gold, although I also like black…” 

“Wait, speaking of which, how are we supposed to sneak you out of here?” Jay asked, eyeing Lloyd’s flashy outfit, “you do stick out quite a bit… and it’ll look suspicious if we leave with one more person than we came in with.”

Lloyd thought for a moment, then his face brightened with an idea. 

-

“You okay in there little buddy?”

Lloyd peeked his head out of Kai’s pocket. He gave a high-pitched squeak as a reply, which Kai assumed meant yes. Kai gave him a thumbs up. “Don’t come out until I give the all clear all right?”

Lloyd nodded and nuzzled back inside his pocket. He yawned, and covered himself with his wings. It was hard to believe he was still tired, after technically being ‘asleep’ for six hundred years. 

The ride in Kai’s pocket was a bumpy one. Lloyd tried not to let out a squeak every time he was shaken around, but it was getting harder as Kai quickened his pace. He felt like he was about to vomit up the expired blood he had drunk earlier all over Kai’s pants. 

At last the ride came to a stop when Kai sat down. “Alright, we’re in the car, you can come out.”

Lloyd flitted out of Kai’s pocket and transformed back into his regular form. He slumped down onto the back seat. Turning from bat to person certainly hadn’t helped his stomach. He swallowed the bile rising in his throat and gazed at his surroundings. “Where am I?” 

“This is a car,” Nya replied, “it’s like… a horse drawn carriage, but instead of a horse it’s run by a machine that makes the car move.” 

“Like magic?” 

Lloyd’s eyes were sparkling, and Nya didn’t have the heart to correct him. “Uh… yeah, like magic!” 

“Don’t forget your seatbelt!” Kai said as he reached back and buckled Lloyd in. Lloyd eyed the seatbelt curiously. 

“What’s this for?” 

“That’s to keep you safe if we get in an accident-which we won’t!” Kai added quickly, “but better safe than sorry.” 

They pulled out of the parking lot, and onto the road. It was already getting dark out, which fortunately meant Lloyd didn’t have to worry about the sun. He stared wistfully out the window as they got farther away from the castle. The trees they passed seemed so familiar, and yet so different. 

It was night by the time they pulled into the campus lot. Lloyd had fallen asleep during the long journey, so Kai picked him up and carried him into their dorm room. He laid him down onto the couch, and tossed a blanket over him. 

“Do you want me to stay until he wakes up?” Nya asked as she waited outside the door. 

“I’ve got it, you go get some sleep,” Kai whispered, tucking a pillow under Lloyd’s head. 

She nodded, and closed the door. Kai watched Lloyd sleep for a couple minutes, and then went to grab something to eat after realizing that was creepy. 

He pulled a fruit cup out of the mini fridge, and ate it while sitting on the table in silence. Lloyd would probably be hungry when he woke up. Kai didn’t mind letting him have some of his blood, but they would need to think of a better solution for the long term. Maybe he could steal some blood from the hospital… nah, he couldn’t steal to save his life. 

The quiet was interrupted by the door bursting open. “Hey Kai, guess what we got!” Jay said as he walked in carrying a mcdonalds bag. 

Kai shushed him, and pointed at Lloyd. “Oh, sorry…” Jay whispered, as he laid the bag onto the table. “We got you some fries.”

“Thanks,” Kai grabbed his fries out of the bag, and shoved a couple in his mouth. “Make sure you don’t wake him up, he’s had a rough day,” he said between bites. 

“Yeah, I got it,” Jay sat down at his desk, and pulled out his notebook. He wrote down something, and then looked back at Lloyd. “Aren’t vampires nocturnal though? Why’s he asleep?” 

Kai shrugged. “No different than one of us taking a nap in the middle of the day, right?” 

“True.” 

Cole flopped down onto his bed. “Speaking of naps, I’m gonna pass out too pretty soon,” he mumbled, “make sure the vampire doesn’t kill me in my sleep.” 

“He has a name, Cole,” Zane said while buttoning up his pyjamas. He climbed up the ladder on their shared bunk bed, and tucked himself in. “We should all get some sleep now, it’s almost past midnight,” he yawned. 

Kai also yawned, and nodded his head. “Your right, c’mon Jay.” 

Jay didn’t look up from his notebook. “Not yet! I still gotta write down my observations-“ 

Kai grabbed him by the shoulder, and pulled him out of his chair. “You can do that tomorrow, let’s get some rest.” 

Jay groaned, but didn’t fight back as Kai pushed him into his bed. He tried to keep himself from dozing off, but within a minute he was already out cold. 

Kai climbed into his bed on the top bunk. He leaned over the railing to check on Lloyd, who was snoring softly, and had his cape wrapped around him like a blanket. Kai chuckled softly, then laid down and closed his eyes. “G’night guys… night Lloyd…” 

\- 

The doors to the crypt slammed open as a robed figure scurried inside. She threw her umbrella aside, and wrung the water from her cloak. The rain pouring outside had been a setback at first, but given that meant no one was outside to witness a mysterious cloaked lady running through the night, it had turned out in her favour. 

The robed figure approached the stone altar that stood in the center of the hollow room. A basin of water illuminated by black candles sat atop it, along with a spell book that she gently caressed with her hands. “Hello, old friend…” 

Her servants had already prepared the ritual for her. She could sense them lurking in the shadows around her, watching and waiting for her next move. Time to give them a show.

She opened the book, and read the incantation off the page. The guttural sound echoed through the crypt, inciting excited murmurs from her servants. As she read, a tear in the fabric of reality grew above her. The water turned black, and splashed over the candles, leaving the sickly green light emanating from the portal the only light in the room. 

As the final word was spoken, a man fell out of the portal. He landed on the ground in front of her. He grunted, and shakily pushed himself to his feet. His long black hair obscured his vision, but he sneered at the figure in front of him. “Who are you, why have you summoned me here?” 

She laughed dryly. “Is that anyway to talk to your queen, Morro?” 

Morro swept his hair away from his eyes. His demeanor immediately changed, and he sank to his knees. “My queen… I apologize, I didn’t recognize you-” 

“Bow.” 

Morro bit his lip, and bowed his head. The preeminent smiled, and leaned down and stroked his cheek. “My dearest follower… i've missed you so,” she whispered, “I have some… unfortunate news, however…” 

She yanked him by the hair, and pulled him up to her eye level. “You have failed me, my child,” she hissed. 

Sweat rolled down Morro’s forehead. A strangled noise escaped his throat. “My queen… what are you saying-” 

The preeminent slapped him across the face, then threw him to the floor. She watched him struggle to get up, and her calm smile returned. “Do you remember the Garmadon family?” she said sweetly. 

Morro gasped in pain. “Y-Yes… I killed all of them, I personally staked each of their hearts… but Wu, that wasn’t my fault, I died searching for him-” 

He cried out as the preeminent slapped him again. “Do not talk back to me!” she snapped, “I’m not talking about him… I’m talking about Lloyd.” 

“The… the boy?” Morro touched his cheek, wincing at the stinging sensation spreading across his face. 

“He’s alive,” the preeminent snarled, “you lied to me.” 

“No, I didn’t!” he shouted, “I swear, I watched him die, I couldn’t find the body but-” 

She circled him like a hawk, glaring daggers into him. “So you didn’t burn him, or make sure there was no way anyone could resurrect him, hmm?” 

Morro clutched his shirt in his hands. “No… no that's impossible, you can’t possibly mean…”

Hushed whispers came from the servants intently watching the confrontation from the sidelines. Morro breathed heavily, holding his head in his hands. “No, no… who… who did it?”

“I’m sure you’ll find out,” she crooned. She held out a hand for Morro, who looked at it nervously before allowing her to help him up. “My dear child… go finish what you started so long ago…” 

She ran her fingers through his hair. He curled his hand into a fist, and leaned into her touch. “I will, my queen… I’ll kill him… and I’ll make sure he’ll never come back again.”

“Good…” the preeminent stepped away, and turned towards the exit. She beckoned towards the shadows. A servant ran out, and handed her umbrella to her. 

“Wrayth here will show you to the armoury,” she said, as she stepped out into the rain. “And as for the rest of you,” she addressed the other servants waiting patiently in the dark, “follow Morro’s orders, he is in charge while I’m away.” 

And with that, she slammed the door behind her. Morro stood in silence, feeling uncomfortable with the eyes of the servants now on him. He was their leader now, as he had been centuries ago. He checked his pulse, and shivered when he realized he didn’t have one. 

“I’m still dead…” 

The servant, the one she had called ‘Wrayth,’ handed him a silver blade. “Our queen told me that this was yours, Morro.” 

Morro stared down at the small dagger. It was indeed the same blade he had wielded when he attacked the Garmadon’s, he could still see traces of golden blood flecked on its surface. What it lacked in size, it made up for in its effect against vampires. 

Morro narrowed his eyes. He couldn’t wait to stab this blade through that vampire brats heart. 

-

“Kai!” 

Kai sat up stiff straight in bed at the sound of Lloyd’s scream. He practically jumped down the ladder, and rushed over to him. “What happened?!” he asked, sitting down next to him on the couch. 

Lloyd’s breathing was fast and strained. He was shaking, and tears were forming in his eyes. “I-I… they were chasing me… I… I couldn’t get away…” 

“It’s okay, it was just a bad dream,” Kai whispered softly to him, “it wasn’t real-“

“IT WAS REAL!” Lloyd suddenly shouted, startling Kai. “I watched my parents  _ die,  _ and all I could do was run away! I watched them burn them, I watched  _ him  _ stake them, and all I could do was… just stand there…”

He sobbed into his hands. Kai put a hand on his back, but Lloyd pushed him away. “Lloyd-“

“You should just kill me!” Lloyd cried, his lip trembling, “I’m useless! I’m just a useless monster who can’t help anyone… not even my own mother and father…”

Kai grabbed Lloyd by the shoulders, and turned him to face him. “Don’t you dare think that!” he said firmly, “you aren’t useless! None of what happened was your fault, you're just a kid.” 

Lloyd held back a gross sob and looked down. “But… I’m a vampire, I’m supposed to be strong…” 

“No one can be strong all the time, not even vampires.” 

Kai pulled him into a tight hug. Lloyd squeaked in surprise, but then squeezed him back just as tight. “Thank you… I don’t understand why you're being so kind to me-“ 

“Hey, what’s with all the noise?” Jay grunted. His eyes widened when he noticed the tears running down Lloyd’s face. “Shit, you okay Lloyd?” 

“I’m fine,” Lloyd said quickly, wiping his eyes, “don’t worry about me.” 

“Let me get you some water,” Kai stood up, and headed towards the kitchen, “uh, if you drink water that is…?” 

“I do, water sounds nice…” Lloyd laid back down onto the couch, and sighed. “I don’t want to fall back asleep… but I’m still tired…” 

“Well, I know what I like to do while I’m trying to fall asleep,” Jay pulled out his phone, and googled ‘funny cat compilation.’ He held out his phone for Lloyd to see. “I just watch cat videos!” 

Lloyd gazed at the screen in awe. “How is that… little box doing that? How did those cats get inside?!” 

“It’s a video, those aren’t real cats, well, they are but… it’s really confusing to explain…” Jay trailed off. 

Kai watched them from the kitchen. Lloyd seemed to be genuinely enjoying himself, laughing and smiling freely and unguarded. Kai wanted to protect that smile. 

He brought the glass of water over, and set it down onto the table. Lloyd reminded him of Nya when she was young. She had always tried to act strong, but Kai knew it was just to hide how lost and helpless she felt. They had lost their parents too. If anyone knew how Lloyd must’ve felt, it was them. 

In that moment, Kai decided he would watch out for Lloyd from then on. He needed someone to keep him safe, and although Kai was only human, he’d walk to the ends of the earth to do so. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kai, after only knowing Lloyd for less than a day: “I Would Fucking Die For You You Funky Little Vampire.”


	3. Sunburns and cats

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter took so long, I was feeling a little lethargic after writing the first two. Enjoy!<3

“One hot cup of cocoa, coming right up!” 

Lloyd laughed as Kai dramatically poured the chocolate powder into the mug. He was sitting at the table reading a book on engineering Jay had given him to keep him entertained. Kai was in the kitchen making himself a nutritious breakfast of instant ramen, while also making Lloyd a cup of hot chocolate. Zane would be upset if he saw how much of a mess he was making, but that was future Kai’s problem. 

“You gonna be okay here while I’m gone?” Kai asked as he wiped up the milk he had split on the counter. He handed the warm mug to Lloyd, who accepted it graciously. 

“Of course, I’ll be very quiet,” Lloyd said, taking a sip of his hot chocolate, “if anyone tries to come in I’ll just turn into a bat and hide.”

Kai took his ramen out of the microwave and poured it into a thermos. “I’m more worried about you getting bored cooped up in here…” 

Lloyd raised an eyebrow. “I’m sixteen, I can keep myself entertained.” 

Kai sighed, and grabbed his backpack off the coat hanger. “Maybe I should just skip…” he hummed, looking up at the clock that was swiftly ticking towards 11:30. 

Lloyd put his mug down and shook his head furiously. “No, I’ll be fine here, don’t miss class because of me.” 

Everyone else had already left for morning classes, leaving Kai and Lloyd alone in the dorm room. He only had one class today, but it was two hours long. While he didn’t want to leave Lloyd all by himself, Wu would kill him if he skipped for the third time in a month. 

“You sure you’ll be okay?” 

“Yes!” Lloyd grabbed a pillow off the couch and tossed it at him, “now get a move on!” 

Kai squawked as the pillow hit him in the stomach. “ACK! Okay I’m going!” Kai shielded himself with his backpack, and darted out the door to avoid a barrage of pillow torpedoes.

Lloyd turned back to his book. He didn’t want to admit it, but reading about automobile engineering basics wasn’t exactly the most interesting, especially considering he didn’t even know what an automobile was. He closed the book, and laid his head down on the table. 

It’d only been two minutes since Kai left, and he was already bored. It was rather pathetic, he was a centuries old vampire and yet a few hours alone sounded awful to him. 

A shrill noise startled him out of his thoughts. It sounded like a distressed animal, and it was coming from outside. He leapt out of his chair, and ran to the kitchen window. He tried to peek through the blinds, but his eyes were burned by the flash of sunlight.

He hissed and drew back. The one thing he was asked to do was not go outside, and Lloyd didn’t want to lose the trust of the few people he knew in this time period. But… the pained cries were only getting louder, and he hated the thought of some poor creature being in trouble. It wouldn’t take more than a minute, surely…? 

He grabbed his cape off the coat hanger, and draped it over his head. It wouldn’t completely block the sun, but it would be enough if he was quick. His eyes clenched shut as he opened the door, and stepped out into the daylight. 

As he stepped out of the dorm, his attention was immediately drawn to the tree planted at the edge of the parking lot. That was where the noise was coming from. Being careful not to let his cape fly away in the wind, he ran over to the tree. 

“Oh no!”

There was a small gray cat sitting high up on a tree branch. It was shivering and meowing sadly, clinging to the branch like its life depended on it. 

“Are you stuck?” Lloyd called up to it, “I’ll get you down, don’t worry.” 

It blinked it’s emerald green eyes at him, and meowed in response. Climbing the tree with a cape draped over his face would be a difficult task, but luckily for him, he had an easier solution. 

Lloyd dropped his cape, and transformed into a bat in a puff of golden sparkles. The cat yowled in alarm, and sped further up the tree. It hissed and swatted at him as he flew up and clung to the branch. He tried to say something to soothe the cat, but all that came out was squeaks. 

He gulped at the hungry look in the cat’s eyes. Bats did look an awful lot like flying mice… 

The cat lunged toward him with its claws out. Lloyd transformed back in a panic, not thinking about how he was still hanging upside down from the thin branch. He heard a SNAP, and he and the cat were sent hurtling towards the ground. 

In the split second before they both hit the hard ground, Lloyd caught the cat in his arms. It mewed softly, and nuzzled against his chest. His head was shaken a bit from the impact, but his powers healed any other injuries faster than he could notice them. He stood up, and held the cat up in the air. 

“It’s very rude to eat someone trying to rescue you,” he scolded, “what do you have to say for yourself?” 

The cat sneezed, and stuck it’s tongue out. Lloyd giggled and rubbed his face against it’s velvety fur. “Alright, I forgive you.” 

“Meowthra!” 

Lloyd jumped, and turned to see a woman running towards him. She had silvery gray hair, but she looked like a young adult. She huffed and leaned against the tree. 

“Thank goodness, you found her,” she gasped, out of breath, “where was she?!” 

Lloyd glanced away awkwardly. This was exactly what he had been afraid of. God, what an idiot he was. Now she was probably going to tell everyone he was here and Kai and the rest of them would get in trouble and it would be all his fault and-

“U-Um…” Lloyd stuttered, “she was stuck in the tree…” 

Meowthra squirmed around in his arms. He let her go, and she bounded over to the woman and rubbed against her leg. 

“Silly kitty…” the woman sighed, “I’m Pixal, thanks for your help.”

“Oh, um, don’t mention it…” he said quietly, trying to figure out a way to escape the conversation. He couldn’t go back into the dorm, not with Pixal watching. He couldn’t exactly walk off either, at the moment the shade from the tree was the only thing protecting him from the sun. “I’m Lloyd.”

“Are you a student here?” she asked. 

“Uh, yes!” Lloyd replied without thinking, then mentally slapped himself. 

Pixal scooped up Meowthra, and held her under her arm like a suitcase. “You must be in the drama program, that’s why you're dressed like that right?”

Lloyd looked down at his clothing in confusion, before remembering he was dressed for a totally different time period. “O-Oh, yeah, I was just on my way to class actually-“

He bit his tongue. Great, now he had an even deeper hole to get out of. 

“Oh, that’s perfect actually!” she said cheerfully, “do you think you could help me move some boxes into the theatre?” 

Lloyd blinked. “Theatre…?”

“The tech crew needs some extra cables, but the guy who was supposed to help me move the boxes bailed on me…” she explained, “and I haven’t even started yet thanks to this little demon,” she glared at Meowthra, who just yawned and twitched her ears. 

“U-Uh…” Lloyd realized there was no way he could politely say no without having to say he lied about being on his way to class. Great. Just great. “Of course, it’d be a pleasure!” he said, hoping she wouldn’t notice how much he was sweating. 

“Thanks so much!” she turned and walked towards the parking lot, “the boxes are in my car, follow me.” 

Lloyd discreetly grabbed his cape off the ground and threw it over his head. He winced as he stepped back into the sunlight, already regretting this decision immensely.

-

It’d been many years since Morro had stood before the gates of Garmadon castle. Nothing had changed a bit. It looked just as decrepit as it had centuries ago. 

“Why is the gate locked?!” Morro snapped, rattling the bars as if he could somehow yank the gate open with his bare hands, “this is ridiculous! What kind of arcane barrier is this?!” 

Bansha sharpened her knife against a rock she had picked up off the ground, indifferent to Morro’s tantrum. “Probably because this is a tourist attraction now, I’d guess… and I assume the gate is opened with a button inside that box over there,” she said, pointing her knife towards the ticket booth.

The lady inside the booth was fast asleep in her chair. She had music on loud enough you could hear it blaring from outside the booth, and she had a sleeping mask on. 

Bansha clicked her tongue. “Not very good at her job, is sh- HEY!” 

Morro snatched the rock out of her hand, and stomped over to the ticket booth. He aimed the rock at the woman’s head, but before he could throw it the woman stirred. She pulled her sleeping mask off, and looked around groggily. “Huh? Is someone there?” 

Morro hastily hid the rock behind his back, and cleared his throat. “Open the gate… please.” 

The woman turned her music off. Her nose wrinkled at the smell of decay emanating from him, and she tried not to stare at his medieval looking clothing. “You mean you want… a ticket?” 

“Yes, a ticket for the gate, because I would like inside,” Morro said stiffly, “please open the gate.” 

Behind him, Bansha groaned and rubbed her temples. “Dear god help me…” 

She nodded, and leaned down to open the safe tucked between her feet. “I’m surprised we’ve been getting so many visitors lately,” she mused, shuffling through the papers stuffed in the safe, “we rarely get two groups visiting in one month, much less in the same week-“

Morro frowned, his hand brushing against the dagger strapped to his belt. “There were people here before us?” 

“Yeah, a couple of college students from NCU,” she explained, stamping two tickets, “they were acting kinda strange when they came out though… fortunately for them I don’t get paid enough to care if they stole anything.” 

Morro exchanged a look with Bansha, who pocketed her blade and approached the ticket booth. “And just where is this ‘NCU?’” Morro asked. 

“Downtown, just north of that big shopping mall, you can’t miss it really,” she said absentmindedly, sliding the tickets to them. “That’ll be ten fifty please.” 

“Uh…” Morro gripped the rock he was still holding tighter, “we don’t have any money, but-“ 

“Enjoy your day miss,” Bansha cut him off, and pulled Morro away by the arm. The woman watched in confusion as she tugged Morro far enough away that they were out of earshot. 

“What was that for?!” Morro sputtered, “must I remind you that  _ I  _ am the one in charge?!”

Bansha eyed the rock he had in his grip. “I feel I must remind you, our queen would prefer if we performed our mission… quietly.”

Morro scowled and tossed the rock aside. “I wasn’t going to kill her… I was just going to give us enough time to open that gate.” 

“The castle is obviously no longer a reliable fortress for Lloyd,” Bansha said, crossing her arms, “I believe his new lair is that college she mentioned, NCU.” 

“Then what’re we waiting for?” Morro stomped his foot impatiently, “let’s go-“

“Patience, Morro, patience…” she hushed, “do you not remember what I taught you when you were a child?” 

“...A good hunter must always wait for the ideal opportunity before striking, I know…” he turned away from her, and stared up at the crumbling towers of the castle. It was poetic almost… a dying castle for a dead family. Soon to be completely dead, that is. 

His attention snapped back to Bansha. “I’m not a child anymore, you don’t need to teach me anything,” he grunted. 

She let out a raspy chuckle. “Don’t be arrogant, everyone can be taught something.” 

Morro watched as she summoned a wisp of blue fire in her hand. She whispered something incomprehensible to it, and it floated out of her hand and disappeared into the forest. “A message for the others,” she told him, wiping the excess blue powder off on her coat. 

Magic had always seemed to allude Morro. He had begged the preeminent many times for magic lessons, but she had always said he just didn’t have any potential. His queen always knew best. Still, he was bitter about constantly feeling inferior to his subordinates. 

“I’ve been patient enough, let’s go.” 

Bansha rolled her eyes as he sauntered back towards the parking lot. She followed behind him, putting an arm out to stop him just in time before he stepped in a large puddle of water. 

“Water is our only weakness, remember?” she said in response to his confused expression, “if it touches you, your flesh will melt right off your bones.” 

Morro shuddered, and lurched away from the puddle. “A horribly inconvenient weakness…” he murmured. 

“Perhaps if you hadn’t failed to kill Lloyd, then we wouldn’t have such a weakness,” Bansha hummed, lifting her skirt so it wouldn’t drag along the wet ground. 

“What?” 

She stiffened. A brief hint of sadness flickered in her eyes. “It’s nothing,” she said, shaking her head, “let’s get there before it rains again.” 

-

Class went by uneventfully. Kai didn’t pay much attention during Wu’s lecture, his mind was too preoccupied worrying about Lloyd. He didn’t fully realize how much he had spaced out until he looked down at the blank notebook page sitting in front of him. Whoops. He’d just have to ask Skylor for her notes after class. 

“Please remember your assignment is due by the end of the month,” Wu announced, “see me if you need any assistance.” 

Kai closed his notebook with a sigh. He was way behind on his history paper, he could thank his shitty adhd brain for that. None of the tips he was given on focusing ever helped, so he usually just did all his assignments last minute and prayed his professors wouldn’t notice. To his credit, they usually didn’t. 

As he was wading through the mass of students exiting the classroom, he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to see Wu standing behind him. “May I speak to you for a minute Kai?” he asked. 

He beckoned Kai over to his desk. “I’ve noticed you’ve been having some trouble on your assignment.” 

Kai stuck his hands in his pockets, and gave a half shrug. “Uh… yeah, a little bit, but I’m fine.” 

Wu stroked his beard thoughtfully. “Nya told me you all visited Garmadon castle yesterday, yes? How was it?” 

“It was… interesting,” he replied, suppressing a laugh. Interesting was a severe understatement, what went down yesterday was straight up fantastical. 

“If you have yet to pick a topic for your paper, may I suggest you do some more research on the castle?” Wu said, “I’m quite… knowledgeable on it myself, so I could offer you plenty of help.” 

Kai’s eyes lit up. Of course! Lloyd probably knew everything about the castle's history, he wouldn’t even need to do any research. Who needs google when you have a friendly vampire living in your dorm room? 

“Yeah, that’s an awesome idea!” Kai cheered, “thanks Wu!” He waved goodbye, and ran out of the classroom. 

Wu watched him go with a smile. His eyes drifted to the framed handwritten letter he kept on his desk, the letter he’d received from Misako just before Lloyd’s sixteenth birthday. He held the picture frame in his hands and read the letter aloud. 

_ My dear brother-in-law,  _

_ I hope this letter finds you well. We’ve all missed you terribly while you’ve been away, Lloyd especially. He grows more beautiful and darling each year, like a blooming flower in springtime. He’s become such a charming young man. I wish you could be here for this momentous celebration, but I understand your business abroad must come first. Garmadon has planted a tea tree for you in the garden, if that entices you to return sooner. We could all sit and have dinner under the moonlight, just like we did in our youth. I know Lloyd would love that.  _

_ Adoringly, Misako.  _

It was the last letter he’d ever received from them. He’d spent centuries rereading it over and over, torturing himself with it as punishment for being the catalyst in their deaths. A teardrop landed on the glass as his shaking hands clung to the frame. 

All these years, and he still wept every time he thought of them. Thought of how his mistake of taking in one child, caused the death of another.

-

Jay groaned and dropped the box of lightbulbs on the ground. “Y’know, we’d be able to get the lights fixed a lot faster if you actually got off your ass and helped.” 

Cryptor didn’t look up from his phone. “Not my problem,” he said curtly. 

“But you're the one who made half the lightbulbs in the damn theatre burst!” Jay snapped back at him. 

The doors to the theatre slammed open. “Sorry I’m late!” Pixal cried out as she wobbled past Jay, carrying two boxes of various cords and cables in her arms. She set them down, and she leaned against them to catch her breath. 

“Meowthra got out again and Cryptor bailed on me, so I almost had to move these all by myself- HEY!” she angrily squinted at Cryptor, “where were you?!” 

Cryptor avoided her gaze. “I was… busy.” 

“If by busy you mean making half the lightbulbs in the theatre explode, then yeah, you were pretty busy,” Jay scoffed. He grabbed a long cable out of the box, and swung it around like a whip. “I oughta hit you with this!”

“Please don’t,” Pixal chided, “how did that even happen?” 

Cryptor shrugged. “Long story.” 

The theatre door gently opened. Lloyd stepped tentatively inside, a  _ huge  _ stack of boxes in his arms. “Um, where should I put these-“ 

He locked eyes with Jay, and froze. Jay stared at him with his mouth agape, the cable he was holding clattered onto the floor. 

Pixal gave them both an odd look. “Uh… what’s wrong?” 

Jay sputtered, his eyes darting between Pixal and Lloyd. “Lloyd?! Your not supposed to be-“ 

Lloyd bit his lip and set the boxes down. He could feel his face heating up in embarrassment. “I’m so sorry, I promise I won’t go outside again, please don’t be mad-“ 

Jay’s eyebrows shot up in alarm. “No no, I’m not mad!” he said quickly, “I was just-“

“Okay, I don’t care about whatever drama is going on here,” Cryptor interrupted, “what I want to know is how the fuck did you carry all those?”

“Cryptor!” Pixal snapped, “don’t be rude! He’s obviously just very strong.” 

Jay glared at Cryptor, then grabbed Lloyd’s hand and led him out of the theatre. He scanned the hallway for anyone else, breathing a sigh of relief when he saw they were alone. 

“Are you okay?” he asked anxiously, “you didn’t get burned in the sun did you?” 

Lloyd shook his head. “No, well, a little bit… but not very much,” he replied, “I’m alright, I promise.” 

Concern washed over Jay’s features. “Shit, don’t scare me like that kid… if anyone finds out about you we’re gonna be in big trouble.” 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry…” Lloyd stammered, “I shouldn’t even be here, I should just go back to the castle-“ 

“Lloyd!” Jay grabbed him by the shoulders, “look at me.” 

He tilted Lloyd’s chin up and brushed a stray lock of hair out of his face. A tear fell down Lloyd’s cheek. “I’m sorry-“ 

“Stop apologizing, it’s not your fault,” Jay told him, “we’ll figure out a better solution for you soon, don’t worry.” 

Lloyd choked back a sob, and nodded. “Okay.” 

“Speaking of which,” Jay added, “I think I might’ve found something you might like.”

He pulled out his phone, and showed him the tab he had open. Lloyd squinted as he looked at the screen. “Blood meal…?” 

“Yeah! It’s dried blood powder, usually used on plants,” Jay said, pointing to the picture on the website, “I don’t exactly know how you’d eat it, but maybe you could like… add it to a smoothie? Or, I’ve heard that coconut water can be used as a blood substitute, so maybe-“ 

“I’m sorry, are you two talking about drinking blood?”

Jay whipped his head around to see Pixal standing behind them. She had her hands on her hips and one eyebrow arched. “What is going on here?” she demanded.

He shared a nervous glance with Lloyd, and then chuckled wearily. “Uh… hey Pix… you think you could keep a secret?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope I did Cryptor the shitty bastard boy justice afjdjjdlskskf

**Author's Note:**

> My main tumblr is Autisticvampireclub, my ninjago sideblog is Autisticfangpyreclub! (Tho fair warning I barely post on my sideblog but the art and original post for this au are there!)


End file.
